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    This Month

    Outgoing NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler worked hard to improve the quality of apartment towers.

    Building commissioner’s parting warning for property developers

    David Chandler’s legacy includes an army of inspectors able to identify the developers most likely to produce suspect buildings.

    • Jimmy Thomson
    Owners have been questioning whether their strata managers can truly be trusted to be acting in their best interests

    There’s more trouble coming for apartment owners. Here’s why

    The Netstrata insurance scandal rocked the strata management industry in NSW, but that’s just the beginning as an independent inquiry starts to dig deeper.

    • Jimmy Thomson

    February

    What the new strata laws on apartments mean for you

    NSW, Victoria and Queensland are reviewing their unit regulations, but it’s still up to owners to take action against dodgy contracts.

    • Jimmy Thomson

    January

    Three things you should know before buying your coastal retreat

    Investing in apartments near the beach has a sustained appeal for a variety of reasons – but be aware, life is different out there.

    • Jimmy Thomson

    Investors to miss out on Mascot Towers rescue plan

    Most owners will get only modest compensation in the exit offering – but investors will get nothing except some tax deductions.

    • Jimmy Thomson
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    How to avoid buying an apartment in a problem building

    Owners of units in defect-ridden Mascot Towers have a chance to put their financial nightmare behind them – but it comes at a price.

    • Jimmy Thomson

    Time to curb the real costs of living in an apartment

    There are things you can do to make strata life better –  but they shouldn’t cost anything.

    • Jimmy Thomson

    December 2023

    Three traps to avoid as more apartments come on stream

    As state governments get to grips with the housing affordability crisis, this is what buyers and investors should be watching in the new year.

    • Jimmy Thomson

    How to party without being an animal

    These are the five things that will drive your neighbours nuts – this is what you can do to avoid them.

    • Jimmy Thomson

    Good news for apartments as defects crackdown bites

    Buyer confidence is low, but help is on the way after the release of three reports.

    • Jimmy Thomson
    A government buy-out may be the only solution to the Mascot Towers mess.

    The latest twist in Mascot Towers saga means more heartbreak

    There’s one last option for unit owners caught in the Mascot Towers mess. It may be that a government buy-out and repair program is the only viable answer.

    • Jimmy Thomson
    Apartment block owners were asked to approve a $50,000-plus budget item for maintenance even though the lifts were still under warranty.

    Up the garden path with dodgy developers

    What’s missing from the new strata laws is any reference to the scandal of embedded networks or, indeed, any duty of care by strata managers.

    • Jimmy Thomson

    November 2023

    What constitutes a visitor? Is it someone who drops in for an hour for a cup of tea or a romantic partner who stays all weekend?

    Visitor parking is driving apartment owners mad

    What defines a “visitor”? Is it someone who drops in for an hour for a cup of tea or the romantic partner of a resident who stays all weekend?

    • Jimmy Thomson

    This is the one thing you shouldn’t miss when you buy a new apartment

    The initial AGM of a new block may feel like another meeting that you could happily skip, but your new neighbours really need you to be there.

    • Jimmy Thomson

    Hell on wheels as e-bikes face bans from apartments

    Charging lithium-ion batteries inside unit blocks is rapidly becoming a burning issue for strata committees – and firefighters.

    • Jimmy Thomson
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    October 2023

    How to check if your apartment developer is telling fibs

    NSW Building Commissioner David Chandler’s ratings are so valuable that some companies are falsely saying they’ve got them when they haven’t even been tested.

    • Jimmy Thomson
    Prepare to be persuaded, cajoled and even bullied into collectively accepting contracts for which there are no competitive quotes.

    A showdown with strata shonks is coming for this columnist

    At the first AGM of a new apartment block, owners are expected to approve all sorts of contracts. But what if they are being misinformed, misled and ripped off?

    • Jimmy Thomson
    Apartment owners would elect a committee at the initial AGM which would then scrutinise the contracts on the table and take advice on them.

    Pet owners are winners in strata law overhaul

    When NSW apartment blocks were dragged whining and yelping into the pet ownership age, some smarty-pants strata schemes came up with ways to deter fur-babies.

    • Jimmy Thomson

    How a mortgage mess nearly cost me my new apartment

    An old debt that was paid off but never cleared came back to haunt me.

    • Jimmy Thomson

    September 2023

    A tax on short-term holiday rentals could immediately put tens of thousands of homes back into the residential mix.

    Airbnb tax could be a win for everyone – except the hosts

    With an Airbnb tax planned in Victoria and a 60-night cap approved in NSW, the free rein for short-term holiday rentals is finally coming to an end.

    • Jimmy Thomson

    The Australian Financial Review Magazine

    BOSS Financial Review

    Kmart and Target managing director Ian Bailey: “The journey we’ve been on for many years is really moving from being a retailer to being a product company.”

    Life & Leisure

    Rich List

    Claire Morris founded Prezzee with Matt Hoggett.